R2Bees to start 15-city tour this month

Music duo, R2Bees, after the successful release of their much anticipated second album, Refuse to Be Broke (Da Revolution II), has said they will be embarking on a nationwide tour.

The group, made up of Faisal Hakeem (Paedae da Pralem) and Rashid Mugeez (Mugeez), launched the album at the Silver Lounge, Accra Mall last Friday, March 29.

According to Paedae, who was speaking in an interview with Myjoyonline.com, the tour is an integral part of the group’s activities for the year.

The tour, which kicks off in April, will see R2Bees perform in 15-cities across the length and breadth of the country running into next year. The duo intends to also embark on international performances in the US and the UK later in the year.

The Tema based rapper explained that after postponing the release of the album thrice, they finally settled on the Good Friday to “outdoor the album, get it out, let people enjoy the music and then we start the concert.”

Comparing the reception of their first album, Da Revolution I to the new one, Paedae said their fans “really loved the first one and I am know they are going to [also] love this one because you can feel the growth in this album, you realize that we’ve matured from Da Revolution I.”

R2Bees had released four hit songs off the album with Life (Walahi), Odo and Bayla which has earned them nine nominations – including Artiste of the Year and Song of the Year – at this year’s Ghana Music Awards.

Asked why it took the group four years to release a second album, Paedae lamented that “the reason why you don’t see people releasing a lot of albums is because we don’t have a routine distribution channel to distribute your music, as such it is a risk to release an album.”

“But because artistes like us have a major fan base you don’t just look at the money… you just look at the people” who want copies of the album.

“So we are not really looking at CD sales and making money [by] selling our album because that is not how to make money in this present time in Ghana or Africa. How to make money is to be relevant and play shows and get endorsements,” he explained.

The 19-track album features several renowned acts including Davido, Sarkodie, Wizkid and UK-based Tinchy Stryder.

Paedae revealed that “the UK market is the biggest market for afro beat right now” thus their collaboration with Tinchy Stryder to enable them penetrate that market.

The album launch was attended by some musicians including Sarkodie, Captain Planet and CoDed (of 4×4), Efya, and Nana Boroo.